The daughter of white Jewish immigrants, Beatrice Alexander grew up helping her father in his doll hospital on the bottom floor of their home on the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century. There, surrounded by cabinets bursting with doll parts, her father washed, repaired, built, and sold china dolls to wealthy customers. Beatrice loved to help care for the dolls during their stay in the hospital, dreaming up new ideas for dolls of her own—perhaps ones that would be unbreakable. As a young adult during World War I, when there was a shortage of materials to create and patch dolls, Beatrice crafted cloth dolls dressed as nurses or wearing old-fashioned dresses. After the war, she sold dozens of baby dolls modeled after her daughter to FAO Schwarz, and her business only grew from there. Professionally, Beatrice became known as Madame Alexander, the head of a company that designed and created countless iconic dolls for American children. Fascinating details underscore the artistry, labor, and skill required to make dolls in an account that shows great respect for dolls and the people who love them. (Ages 5-8)